1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector and particularly to a waterproof connector including a sealing member at a terminal insertion surface of the connector for preventing water penetration into terminal accommodating chambers of the connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A waterproof structure using a one-piece waterproof rubber plug formed with wire insertion holes, though which a plurality of wires are insertable, is known as a waterproof means between the wires and a housing in a waterproof connector (see, for example, JP2001-351724).
As shown in FIG. 11, in a waterproof connector 1 of this type, a one-piece waterproof rubber plug 4 formed with a plurality of wire insertion holes 5 is so mounted that an outer circumferential sealing portion 6 thereof is held in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of a rubber plug accommodating tube portion 3 provided on a rear surface of a housing 2. Since this prevents water from penetrating to inserted portions of wires W without mounting a separate waterproof rubber plug on each of the plurality of wires W, there are advantages that intervals between the wires W can be narrowed and the structure of the rubber plug accommodating tube portion 3 on the housing 2 can be simplified.
However, the one-piece waterproof rubber plug 4 as described above has the following problem. When the wires W are inserted through the wire insertion holes 5 as shown in FIG. 12, the wire insertion hole 5b having the wire not yet inserted therethrough is pressed in such directions as to become narrower by being affected by resilient deformations of the wire insertion holes 5a having the wires already inserted therethrough and a resilient force of the entire rubber plug 4 decreases at a final stage, wherefore it becomes more difficult to insert the wire. Further, if the resilient force of the rubber plug 4 decreases, a degree of adhesion between the rubber plug accommodating tube portion 3 on the housing 2 shown in FIG. 11 and the rubber plug 4 also decreases, thereby causing a problem of deteriorating a waterproof performance.